03/04/2013

This spring the Soane Suite is being transformed
into a most unusual banquet – the invited guests all members of a secret society
but also entirely made of plaster.This curious group is wearing extraordinary costumes that
range from the stylish to the surreal, adorned with outrageous hats and
unexpected accessories or unusual collars and cloaks. Their lavish dinner party
has everything one could wish for – overflowing bowls of exotic fruit,
magnificent multi-tiered cakes, decanters of wine, vases of flowers and
candelabra– only as with the guests all is immortalised in bright white
plaster.

The Secret Society is the first solo exhibition of acclaimed
London-based artist and designer Kathy Dalwood, and is the first time that her
celebrated Plaster Bust collection has been shown in its entirety.

Following Sir John Soane's own liking for staging 'Gothic
Banquets', Dalwood’s sculptural portrait busts reference sources ranging from
Miss Havisham’s house to the Mad Hatter’s tea party, Marie Antoinette’s
infamous soirées to classical bacchanalia, masked balls and Venetian carnivals.
The mysterious associations are not stuck in the distant past however and also
display the influence of the modernist avant garde and the world of extreme
sculptural fashion.

Speaking about the exhibition, Dalwood comments: “Pitzhanger
Manor was designed for busts! There are niches, plinths and mantelpieces
everywhere. But given that I perceive the busts as a group of strange, detached
characters occupying their own world, I thought it would be interesting to
stage an event for them, so I’m creating a bizarre banquet. nI hope that
visitors will be seduced by the expressive beauty of plaster as a material and
that perhaps the busts will steer people’s interest towards figurative sculpture
in general, of which there are so many – at times overlooked – diverse and
captivating examples in the cities, parks, palaces, cathedrals and museums of
the world.”

The Secret Society is curated by PM Gallery & House in
association with Matt Price. The installation has been styled in collaboration
with Karina Garrick. To celebrate the exhibition, a new plaster bust has been
created, inspired by the architecture of Sir John Soane and will be for
sale along with other pieces from the collection.

Find out more about Sir John Soane and his Lincoln's Inn town house here

Exhibition tour

Sunday 2 June at 2pmPlease join us for an informal tour of the exhibition with artist Kathy
Dalwood and curator Matt Price.
Free – just turn up

Exhibition @ Harewood House, Yorkshire

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The back-story

This is a 'back-story' blog - a glimpse behind the scenes in my studio and an insight to the visual perspective which inspires my sculpture & design. And to see the 'front story' visit mywebsitewww.kathydalwood.com